Euro 2020: Finland beats Denmark to secure historic maiden win after Eriksen scare

Euro 2021: A second half goal from Joel Pohjanpalo helped the competition debutants Finland clinch a 1-0 win over Denmark at Copenhagen.

Published : Jun 13, 2021 01:11 IST

Finland players celebrate after scoring against Denmark at Copenhagen on Saturday.
Finland players celebrate after scoring against Denmark at Copenhagen on Saturday.
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Finland players celebrate after scoring against Denmark at Copenhagen on Saturday.

Finland claimed a shock 1-0 Euro 2020 victory over Denmark in its first major tournament appearance on Saturday, but the match was overshadowed by Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen requiring emergency medical treatment on the pitch.

The match was suspended after Eriksen collapsed towards the end of the first half and was given CPR by medics as his team mates formed a ring around him, before he was carried off on a stretcher and both teams left the pitch.

The game was stopped for one hour and 45 minutes but resumed after the Danish Football Association announced that Eriksen was awake and stable in hospital and both sets of players told soccer's European governing body UEFA they wanted to continue.

Denmark dominated the match before and after the traumatic incident, but Finland striker Joel Pohjanpalo headed home the winner on the hour with his side's only attempt of the game.

The hosts had 22 efforts but could not make them count, including a tame penalty from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg that was saved by Lukas Hradecky with 16 minutes remaining.

As the Danes trudged dejectedly off the field, the Finnish players celebrated with their ecstatic fans, but ultimately it was a night when football did not matter with Eriksen being treated at a hospital about one kilometre away.

"Of course it was hard for us to go to the pitch, and I can only imagine how hard it was for Denmark. A great victory for us, but the foremost thing on our minds is Christian’s condition," scorer Pohjanpalo told Finnish broadcaster YLE .

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